1150 - HANGING ROCK IRON REGION superiority, the entire' output of the plant being of faced brick for decorative architectural work. The officers of this company are as here noted : Harry S. Hamilton, president; O. E. Vollenweider, vice president; Otto F. Pilcher, secretary ; and L. W. Sprague, manager. The executive officers are constituent members of the board of directors, as are also Isaac M. Lantz, William D. Fischer and Aaron Will, Jr., who is treasurer of the company. The corporation is distinctively a Vinton County concern and all of the interested principals designated above are residents of McArthur, except William D. Fisher, who maintains his home in the Village of Zaleski, this county. The company has a large and modern plant, the main building of which is of substantial brick construction, and the annual output has not attained to the significant aggregate of 20,000,000 brick annually. Employment is given to a force of 100 men, many of whom are skilled workmen, and the special lines of brick manufactured are those known by. the names of McArthur Rug Brick and McArthur Mission Brick. Both of these special types of facing brick are of the rough vitriolized order and of splendid decorative values. Their superiority is maintained by reason of their special texture and beauty, and not only is a rare and fine quality of clay employed in their manufacture but in the color schemes and general decorative textures there are also such points of individuality that the company has been enabled to protect its designs by patents issued by the United States Government. The McArthur matt brick is non-breakable and fire-proof and is available for all types of modern architecture in which decorative facing brick is utilized, the beautiful effect given having proved one of the strong forces in the rapid development of a business that is now one of great volume and definite prosperity, the output of the McArthur plant being given the highest approbation upon the part of architects and builders, so that the demand for the products is constantly expanding in scope and importance and has given to the company prestige as one of the leading exponents of this special line of industrial enterprise in the entire State of Ohio. It is needless to say that the business now returns to the stockholders most satisfactory dividends, and its operations are based on a capital stock of $100,000. Mr. Pilcher was one of the promoters and organizers of this splendid Vinton County Corporation and has been one of its officials from the beginning of operations. The company has unrivaled advantages in that it has available for its manufacturing the finest of coal, clay and sand, taken from property owned by the company and constituting an integral part of its large and modern plant. These facilities enable the company to place its products on the market at a lower price than possible of offering on the part of the average concern engaged in the HANGING ROCK IRON REGION - 1151 manufacturing of similar but less excellent ornamental brick. Aside from his active association with the two important enterprises here mentioned, Air. Pilcher controls a substantial and rasresentative private business ag an underwriter of fire insurance, in which he is local representative of a number of the most substantial and best known companies. Mr. Pilcher is in the very prime of his strong and resourceful manhood, as he has but recently passed the half-century milepost on the journey of life. He was born at McArthur, the town in which he still maintains his residence, and here he was afforded in his youth the advantages of the public schools, besides which he has here found ample opportunity for exercising his admirable energies and talents in his mature years and has proved himself a specially able and progressive business man, as the foregoing statements significantly show. The ancestry of Mr. Pilcher is of staunch English order, but the name has been identified with American history for several generations. James Pilcher, grandfather of the subject of this review, was born in the State of Maryland, and the family name of his wife was Sage. They were numbered among the early settlers in Vinton County, Ohio, where Mr. Pilcher acquired a tract of land and developed a productive farm in Elk Township and not far distant from McArthur, the county seat. He was known and honored as one of the substantial agriculturists and sterling and Corntyntial citizens of Vinton Connty and continued to reside on his old homestead farm until his death, at the patriarcel age of ninety-five years. HHe was a man of wonderful physical vigor and virtually his only illness during the long course of his life was that which resulted in his death, the wife of his youth having passed away when somewhat less than forty years of age. Both were zealous members of the Methodist Episcopal Church and in politics he paid staunch allegiance to the democratic party. Of the family of two sons and sixteen daughters all attained tchildrenty, married and reared childien, most of them having reached advanced ae but all being now deceased. One of the younger children of the above mentioned family was Rev. George W. Pilcher, father of him whose name introduces this article. He was born on the old homestead farm in Elk Township, Vinton County, Ohio; in 1831, and passed to the life eternal in 1899.as aserved long and faithfully as.a clergyman of the Christian Union Church and was a man of fine intellectual powers as well as of consecwork ofal and devotion in the worlroof the Christian ministry. In view of his deep and abiding Christian faith, which dominated his life specially interestingons, it is speially.interesting to note that in the Civil waregimentved as chaplain of the rekiment that was commanded by thIngersollagnostic, Col. Robert Inkersoll. In connection wIth his service in the Civil war he 1152 - HANGING ROCK IRON REGION was a passenger on the military transport vessel "Runyon," at the time. when the same was wrecked by running afoul of some obstruction in the Mississippi River, near Vicksburg, where most of the crew and, passengers lost their lives, though Chaplain Pilcher succeeded in making his escape, largely through his superior physical powers, all members of the family having been favored with excellent and really. exceptional physical strength. Mr. Pilcher continued his service as chaplain during the entire period of the great conflict through which the 'integrity of the nation was preserved, and it was his to endure the full tension of the long and weary campaigns and marches, besides ministering faithfully to the soldiers who were wounded and called -upon 'to make the ultimate sacrifice on the altar of patriotism. In politics key. George W, Pilcher, never wavered in his allegiance to the democratic party and he was an effective advocate of its principles and Policies, besides which he served at one time as a member of the board of county commissioners of Vinton County, where he continued his residence in McArthur. until the time of his death. As a young man Rev. George. W. Pilcher wedded Miss Rebecca Coulter, who was born in Guernsey County, Ohio, but who was a girl. at the time of her parents' removal to Vinton County. Her parents were natives of Pennsylvania and her father, John Coulter, became one of the pioneer 'farmers of Vinton County, Ohio, where he lived to attain the remarkable age of nearly. one hundred years, his first wife having passed away at the age of sixty-one years, and it having been. their privilege to rear to years. of maturity their four sons and nine daughters, all of Whom married and reared children of their own. Two sons and two daughters are yet living, and of this number is Mrs. Pilcher, mother of the subject of this, sketch. She celebrated in 1915 her eighty-first birthday. anniversary and is vigorous of mind and body, as shown by the fact that she still gives her personal supervision to her home and her garden and is still active in church work, in which she long was a zealous colaborer of her honored husband. Of their children one daughter died in early childhoods; Sallie L. is the wife of Frank Morehead, a prosperous farmer of Guernsey County, and they have Sons and daughters; James who now resides at Sparta, Illinois, and is identified with railway operations, is married and has three daughters; Irving W., who is like-wise a. railroad man; is still a bachelor and is now living in the West; and Otto F., of this review, was the youngest in the family. Otto F. Pilcher has maintained his home. in his native town during virtually his entire life thus far, the white he has achieved large and Worthy 'success through the legitimate application of his own ability and energies. He emphatically one of the progressive and public-spirited HANGING ROCK IRON REGION - 1153 citizens of McArthur and though he manifests a lively interest in all that touches the communal welfare he has been essentially a business man and thus hag had no predilection for public office. In politics he main-tains an independent attitude and supports the men and measures meet-ing the approval of his judgment. He is affiliated with the local blue lodge and chapter of the Masonic Fraternity, and he and his wife hold membership in the adjunct chapter of the Order of the Eastern Star, besides which they hold membership in the Methodist Episcopal Church. In the McArthur Lodge of the Knights of Pythias Mr. Pilcher is specially active and influential, and he has passed the various official chairs in the same. Mr. Pilcher has been twice married. He first wedded Miss Sophia Weisenbarger, who was born at Eagle Furnace, Vinton County, id 1867, and whose death occurred on the 13th of March, 1905. Of the four chil-dren of this union the eldest is Ada M., who was afforded the advantages of the Ohio Wesleyan University, at Delaware, and in Ohio University, at Athens, in which latter institution she completed a course in domestic science,. which she is now teaching in the high school at McArthur, so that she is still enabled to remain at the paternal home. Lois T. attended Miami University, at Oxford, and also Ohio University, at Athens, and she is now assistant principal of the public schools of the Village of Chauncey, Athens County. Roy W. is a student in historic old Kenyon College, at Gambier, and thereafter attended Ohio University for two years. Sophie Jeanette is a student in the public schools of McArthur. In 1906 was solemnized the marriage of Mr. Pilcher to Miss Louise M. Karnard, who was born and reared at Mount Pleasant, Jefferson County, Ohio, and who completed her education in Ohio Uiriversity. The two children of this union are James and George. HENRY WEBER. The residence of Henry Weber on the farm which he now owns and occupies in Scioto Township, Jackson County, has covered. a period of seventy-one years, for here he was born December 26, 1844. His father, Henry Weber, was born in Switzerland about 1816 and the latter's father, Milton Weber, was also a native of that country, where he was reared and married. About the year 1822 Milton Weber came to the United States, accompanied by his wife and- three children, landing a-Mew:York after three weeks of stormy traveling. They immediately came to Ohio, locating near what is now Scioto Township, Jackson, County, at. a time when the state was but sparsely settled and a great part of the land was owned by the United States Government and for sale at $1.25 per acre.: Milton Weber selected a tract of this land in section 17, built a log house and at once started to improve the property, 1154 - HANGING ROCK IRON REGION being a resident of this locality until his death. He and Mrs. Weber reared a family of two daughters and one son. Henry Weber was about six years of age when brought to Scioto Township, and here he was reared amid pioneer surroundings. He grew to sturdy and well trained manhood, and when ready to start upon his own career entered a tract of land in section 17, and there, like his father, erected a log cabin. He made the boards with which to cover the roof by splitting logs, and built an earth and stick chimney, and it was in this humble abode that Henry Weber vvas born. For many years there were no railroads or canals in this section and Henry Weber the elder was accustomed to draw all the surplus produce to Portsmouth. He succeeded in improving a large part of his land, on which he lived until late in life, when he moved to Nevada, Livingston County, Illinois, and there passed away at the age of seventy years. His career was a long and useful one, in which he demonstrated the value of the qualities of honesty, industry and good citizenship. Mrs. Weber, who bore the maiden name of Catherine Shear, was born in Tuscarawas County, Ohio, and was a daughter of Adam and Mary Christine Shear. She died at the age of eighty-seven years, having been the mother of eight children. Henry Weber attended the district schools in his youth, devoting his spare tithe to assisting his father in the cultivation of the homestead, to the ownership of which he later succeeded. His operations as a general farmer and breeder of livestock have been very successful, and he has added to the family estate, now having a tract of 288 acres, in a high state of cultivation and well equipped with substantial buildings and modern improvements, while his cattle, horses, sheep and hogs are of the best grade. Mr. Weber was married January 31, 1868, to Miss Mary Carolina Lawrence, born in Scioto Township, Jackson County, Ohio, daughter of Washington Lawrence, a native of Virginia, and granddaughter of Daniel Lawrence, also born in the Old Dominion. The latter was a pioneer of Pike County, Ohio, and married Elizabeth Hollanback. Wash-ington Lawrence located as a young man in Pike County, and here was stricken with typhoid fever and died at the early age of twenty-nine years. He married Elizabeth Wittman, who was born in Pennsylvania, daughter of Henry and Catherine (Morey) Wittman, natives of Penn-sylvania and early settlers of Scioto Township. Mr. and Mrs. Lawrence had two daughters : Catherine E. and Mary Carolina. Four children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Weber, namely : Charity Elizabeth, who married Phillip Gahm and has one son,—Walter Floyd ; Major Kern, who married Mary Granner ; George W., who married Edith P. HANGING ROCK IRON REGION - 1155 Hoover and has four children,—Mary Catherine, Charity Floressa, George Merritt and Woodrow Wilson; and Alta M., who resides with her parents. Mr. and Mrs. Weber were both reared in the Lutheran Church and have remained true to that faith throughout their lives. As a citizen Mr. Weber is held in high esteem, and his name is invariably found on the list of supporters of public-spirited movements. JESSE B. HILL. It was more than seventy-five years ago that Jesse B. Hill, then an infant, came into Vinton County. ere he has since witnessed the unfolding of practically every important phase of civiliza-tion in this section of Ohio. Now in venerable years, he enjoys the fruits of well spent endeavors as a farmer in Jackson Township, and is the owner .of the fine homestead of 160 acres situated at Locust Grove. He was born on the old Jesse Sanderson Farm on Sunday Creek in Perry County, Ohio, November 25, 1838. In the spring of 1839 his parents came to Vinton County and located in 'the wilds of Jackson Township, their first habitation being a log cabin. They had few neighbors; and there were very meager facilities in the way of market towns, schools, churches, and postal communication was very slow and irregular. For years a part of the meat which went on their table was spplied from the wild game of every kind which could be found within a short. distance. of their home. The children of the family when they came to. Vinton County were named Joseph, Matilda, Jacob, Isaac, Margaret, Eli and Jesse. The last is the only survivor. All the children married except Eli, who died a bachelor when past seventy years of age. Alt the others had children of their own. The son Joseph became a soldier, in the Civil war, going out with an Ohio regiment, and after many, narrow. escapes in the battles in which he participated was finally seriously wounded and died in a hospital in Maryland from the effects of the wound. He was a school teacher by profession and a member of the Masonic order. The father of these children was Eli Hill, who was born in Greene County, Pennsylvania, about 1800. He was reared as a farmer, and acquired only a common school education, though by much reading and study and observation he became noted for his wide and thorough information and knowledge. He possessed a fine mind and good judgment and naturally. took a place of leadership in the early community of Vinton. County where he lived so many years. He died at the old home now occupied by his son Jesse near Locust Grove in the fall of 1884 at the age of eighty-seven. He was a member of the Methodist Church and all his life was a strong pholder and supporter of every moral and religious movement in his community. He was first a whig and after- Vol. II—33 1156 - HANGING ROCK IRON REGION wards a republican, and filled such local offices as justice of the peace and township trustee. He married in Perry County, Ohio, Eliza Ball. She was born in that county, and was a few years younger than her husband. Her parents had also come from Pennsylvania and were pioneers in Perry County where they spent their lives. She died at the old home at Locust Grove when sixty-three years of age. Both she and her husband had helped to organize and were charter members of the Methodist Church which has long been the chief institution and distinction to the community of Locust Grove. Eli Hill had a number of brothers and several of them became active railroad men. He helped to construct the first log church which stood there for many years until it was supplanted by a larger and better constructed edifice. This church was the scene of many religious gatherings and also social assemblages. At one time more than sixty years ago a great revival was held attended by the people for miles around, and more than 100 persons were converted. Jesse B, Hill's early recollections are all associated with the Locust Grove community. He attended the schools kept in this community, and as soon as he took up the responsibilities of an active career he became a farmer. He was married in Benton Township of Hocking County, Ohio, about fifty years ago to Miss Melissa Moody. She was born in Morgan County. Ohio, November 2, 1845, and died at the home at Locust Grove, February 1, 1908. Not only her family but a wide circle of friends had reason to lament the loss of this good woman, who was a devoted wife and mother and extended her wholesome kindness and charity far beyond the circle of her own home. Her parents were Bernard and Sarah (Woolfort) Moody, who were natives of Pennsylvania and of Dutch stock. They settled in Hocking County, Ohio, in the woods along Goose Creek at a very early date and in time they improved a farm near Liberty Hill. That was their home during the rest of their days, and her father died February 21, 1883, when nearly sixty-eight years of age, while her:mother survived until 1912 and was then ninety-three. They were both members of. the United Brethren Church. The children born to Mr. and. Mrs. Hill were as follows: Pearley died when four years of age ; Dora has never married and is still at home with her father ; Ross died at the age of thirty-two, after his marriage to May Ralph, who is also deceased, and the children that survived her were Nora, Goldie, Clarence (deceased), Charles, Ethel and Walter. Nannie is the wife of George Phipps of Elk Township. Cora is the wife of Charles Kain of Williamsport, Pickaway County, Ohio, and both were married before, Mr. Kain having four children and Mrs. Kain hav-ing two children by the first marriage. Garfield, who lives in Jackson HANGING ROCK IRON REGION - 1157 Town.ship, married Josie Bishop, and their children are Kenneth, Hamlin, Mary (deceased), Melba and Ralph. Blaine, whose home is in Jackson Township, married Caroline Bullocks. Lulu C. is the wife of Claud Wing, a farmer and stock dealer, and they live with Mr. Hill; their children are Hiram G. and Jesse Willis. All the members of the Hill family have been identified with the work and activities of the Locust Grove Methodist Episcopal Church. Mrs. Wing has been the caretaker of this church for the past twelve years. In politics Mr. Hill is a very decided republican and at different times has used his influence in behalf of party success and for the support of his many friends in this community. GEORGE W. MILLER. One of the best small trading communities of Vinton County is the Village of Orland in Swan Township. To a large degree the commercial enterprise of the village has been supplied by George W. Miller, whose large stock of general merchandise has been drawn upon to supply the needs of the surrounding community for a number of years. Mr. Miller is a merchant who understands his busi-ness and also the people with whom he deals, and is one of the most highly regarded-men of Vinton County. It was in 1901 that he established himself in business at Orland, and five years ago he moved his stock into a handsome new store building 20x55 feet. He carries a full line of all wares required by the country trade,- and, both buys and sells intelligently and furnishes an important service. He acquired his early commercial experience as a clerk at Wilston. For more than eight years while living in Swan Township Mr. Miller was a carrier on ono of the rural mail routes. George W. Miller was born April 11, 1882, near Wilkesville on Yankee Street in Vinton County. This county has been his home most of his life and he acquired his education at McArthur, Wilkesville and at Winchester. His parents are Isaac W. and Sarah A. (Boothe) Miller, the former a native of Pennsylvania and a son of Beatty Miller. Beatty Miller mania. in Pennsylvania, and when his son Isaac was quite young moved to Ohlo, locating in the Wilkesville community of Vinton County, where he and his wife spent the rest of their days. e was past eighty and she past ninety-four when they died., Their influence went to promote the activities of the local Presbyterian Church and in politics he was a republican. Isaac W. Miller is one of five sons and two daughters, and all of them except Isaac, who is the youngest, were soldiers in the Civil War. Most of these children are still living. Isaac W. Miller grew up in the 1158 - HANGING ROCK IRON REGION Wilkesville community, attended school there, and met and married Sarah A. Boothe. She was-born in Ohio and belonged to an old Ohio family of pioneers in Vinton County. Since their marriage Isaac W. Miller and wife spent most of their years in Vinton County, where he was an active farmer and. for some years a merchant and hotel proprietor. He is now living retired a Wilkesville at the age of seventy-eight, while his wife is seventy-four. Both have continued the allegiance of their. respective families by membership in the Presbyterian Church, and as a republican he has been honored several times by local office. The children of Isaac W. Miller and wife are : Thomas S., who is now. in business at Columbus and has three children; Jennie A., wife of N. A. Vaughan, a furniture dealer and undertaker at Adelphia, and they have five children; Mamie B. is the wife of Charles Ogden, who has a large 500-acre farm and is principally engaged in stock raising at Dyesville in Meigs County, Ohio, and their family consists of two sons; Catherine A. is the wife of Charles A. Wells, their son Brown W. is head chemist for the Buckeye Steel Castings Company at Columbus; Elizabeth first married Raulson Davidson of Columbus, who died leaving a son and daughter, and she is now the wife of Pearson Ranck, and still lives at Columbus. George W. Miller was married in Vinton. County to Miss Emma L. Cherry. She was born in Hocking County, Ohio, in 1880 and after com pleting a good education became a teacher and taught for about half dozen years before her marriage in Falls and Starr townships of he native county. Her parents were Samuel and Catherine (Wright) Cherry. Her father was born in Holmes County; Ohio, in 1835, but when a boy went to Hocking County and grew up in Washington Township, where his parents Moses and Sarah (Miller) Cherry had established their home on a farm and where they spent the rest of their years passing away when. about fourscore. Moses Cherry was a whig and republican, and he and. his wife active Presbyterians. Samuel Cherry grew up in Hocking County, and married there Miss Wright, who was born in Hocking County in 1836. They had a long and happy married companionship of forty years before Samuel Cherry died. in 1901. His widow passed away in 1912. They became members of the United Presbyterian Church, and he served as a church official and in politics was a republican until about 1873, after which he affiliated With the democratic party. Samuel and Catherine Cherry had the following children : Dr. T. M. Cherry, a physician at Norton, Virginia, who has a family of one son and four daughters; Joseph S., whose home is at Linden Heights, Ohio, and who has five children; Jennie is the wife of Ephraim Lane, of Logan, Ohio, and. they have one son And one daughter ; Moses R. is HANGING ROCK IRON REGION - 1159 unmarried and still occupies the old homestead in Washington Township of Hocking County ; Marie is the wife of Albert Armstrong, who lives at Union Furnace, Ohio, and they have two sons and two daughters. Mr. and Mrs. Miller are the parents of three children : Thelma K., now in the sixth grade of the public school; Phalice G. in the fourth grade ; and Ivan W. The parents of these children are both active mem-bers of the Presbyterian Church, and politically Mr. Miller has always associated with the republicans, and believes heartily in the principles of that party. HARRY S. HAMILTON. The thriving and attractive little Town of McArthur, the judicial center and metropolis of Vinton County, claims as one of its most progressive and successful business men and most liberal and public-spirited citizens the popular merchant whose name introduces this paragraph and who is the executive head of the Hamilton-King Company, of Wellston, which here conducts a specially large and prosperous enterprise and maintains an essentially modern and finely equipped department store. He is likewise one of the principals of the representative mercantile house of the Thurness-Wright Company, Logan, Ohio, which gives special attention to the handling of carpets, rugs, draperies and other decorative house-furnishing goods, and to ladies ready-to-wear suits, cloaks and other garments. Mr. Hamilton was also one of the organizers and is a heavy stockholder and the president of the McArthur Brick Company, which has built up one of the extensive awl important industrial enterprises of the Hanging Rock Iron Region of Ohio and which has gained wide reputation and priority in the manu-facturing of the highest grade of ornamental rug or matt brick for architectural purposes, adequate record concerning this corporation being given on other pages of this work, in connection with the review of the career of its secretary, Otto F. Pilcher. The business of the Hamilton-King Company dates its inception back to' the year 1900 and the Hamilton Department Store, of which Mr. Hamilton is the proprietor, was founded in a modest way, in 1886, the present large and well appointed establishment being eligibly situated on Main Street and occupying a building 50x100 feet in dimensions. This is a general department store and it has long commanded a large and representative supporting patronage, owing to the effectiveness of its service in all departments and the unequivocal fairness that has invariably marked all transactions, so that its reputation constitutes its best commercial asset and has been the most important medium in bring-ing about the development of a remarkably substantial business. The Hamilton-King Company controls a large business in the handling of 1160 - HANGING ROCK IRON REGION dry goods, ladies' apparel and kindred lines and the enterprise was rounded by Mr. Hamilton and the late Adolph A. Dowd, whose death occurred in 1910. In 1915 Mr. Hamilton admitted to partnership in this business its popular manager, Charles King, and since that time the enterprise has been continued under the title of the Hamilton-King Company. The Thurness-Wright Company began operations in 1904, and it likewise represents one of the important retail- business enterprises of Logan, the county seat of Hocking County, Mr. Thurness having re-tired from the firm in 1914, but the original title having been retained. Mr. Hamilton is the largest stockholder in the McArthur Brick Com-pany, which bases its operations on a capital of $100,000 and the output or whose plant now averages from 18,000,000 to 20,000,000 of brick per annum. The superiority of the ornamental structural brick manufactured by this company has gained to it a trade that extends into the most diverse sections of the United States and also into the Canadian provinces, and the industry is one of the most important of its kind in Ohio, with the best of supply resources for the manufactured product and with control of valuable patents on textures and designs. The foregoing statements adequately indicate that Mr. Hamilton is one of the most aggressive and influential business men of his native county, and his initiative and executive ability as well as ready capitalistic support has been given to the upbuilding of enterprises that have inured greatly to the civic and material advancement of his home town and county, where his circle of appreciative friends is limited only by that of his acquaintances. Mr. Hamilton was born at McArthur, Vinton County, Ohio, on the ad of January, 1864, and it is a matter of record that he was thus ushered into the world on one of the coldest days known in the history of this section of the Buckeye State. He was reared to maturity in the fine little city that is now his home and to its public schools he is indebted for his early educational discipline. ere he initiated his busi-ness career as clerk in a mercantile establishment, and for five years he was employed in the store of Will Brothers, who thereafter became his partners in his first independent venture as a merchant. They were associated with him in the establishing of what is now known as the Hamilton Department Store, but after a few years Mr. Hamilton found it possible and expedient to assume sole control of the enterprise, which has. been developed to its present large magnitude under his effective supervision. Henry S. Hamilton, father of him to whom this review is dedicated, was born in the State of New Jersey and as a young man he came to Ohio and 'established his residence at McArthur, which was then a small HANGING ROCK IRON REGION - 1161 village. He was a competent accountant and fine penman, and thus he readily found employment in the office of the county auditor, where he gave effective service and in the meanwhile continued the study of law, to he had devoted himself for some time prior to Coming to Ohio. He was soon admitted to the bar of his adopted state and engaged in the practice of his profession at McArthur, where he became a member of the representative law firm of Hamilton, Bingham and ewitt. He continued to devote his attention to the work of his profession until disinception of the Civil war, when he promptly subordinated all else to the call of patriotism and tendered his aid in defense of the Union. In the spring of 1861, at the first call for volunteers, he enlisted in Company D, Eighteenth Ohio Volunteer Infantry, and he was made second lieutenant of his company. After the expiration of his original ninety days' term he re-enlisted, for "three years or during the war," and became captain of Company D, Second West Virginia, which he assisted in organizing at McArthur and which became a part of the Virginia mounted volunteers. In this gallant command he was chosen captain of Company D, Second Regiment, commanded by Col. William M. Bowles. This regiment was organized on the 1st of September, 1861, and with the command Captain Hamilton participated in many engagements, including a number of specially important battles. For gallant and meritorious service as a soldier and commanding officer he was given the brevet rank of major, and he continued at the front until 1863, when he resigned his commission and returned to Vinton County, Ohio, where he assumed control of the Eagle Iron Furnace, the output of which was used principally in connection with manufacturing arms and !munition for the Union forces in the field. With this enterprise he continued to be actively. identified until his death, which occurred at McArthur in August, 1866, when he succumbed to an attack of Asiatic cholera. He was born on the 1st of September, 1831, and thus he died shortly before his thirty-fifth birthday anniversary. Major Hamilton was a young man of really exceptional talent, of sterling character and of high professional attainments.. At the time of his demise he was candidate for the. office of judge of the district court, and his life was cut short in the very prime of his straw and useful manhood. He was doubly orphaned when a boy and it was his to wed. a young woman who likewise had been left an orphan when a child. In Wheeling, West Virginia, was solemnized his marriage to Miss Elizabeth Lantz, who was born in Vinton County, Ohio; but who was reared and educated at Wheeling, West Virginia., where their acquaintanceship' was formed. Mrs. Hamil-ton was born on the 6th of April, 1834, and she is now one of the oldest living citizens born in and still resident of Vinton County, Ohio, where 1162 - HANGING ROCK IRON REGION she is held in affectional regard by all who have come within the sphere of her gentle influence. For the past twenty years she has been a patient sufferer from the effects of paralysis, but her cheerful optimism has not failed her in her affliction and she finds in her venerable years much to enjoy and be thankful for in the gracious twilight of her life. Mrs. Hamilton is a daughter of Aaron and Leah (Claypool) Lantz, who came from Greenbrier County, West Virginia, and became very early settlers of Vinton County, Ohio, where Mr. Lantz accumulated an extensive landed estate and became a citizen. of prominence and influence in the pioneer community. Here he died in the prime of life. Mrs. Lantz lived to the venerable age of eighty-six years, having been a devout mem-ber of the Christian Church. Mrs. Lantz was a young woman at the time of the death of her husband and later she became the wife of Judge Joseph Kaler, who was long numbered among the honored and influential citizens of Vinton County, which he represented in the Ohio Legislature, besides having served with marked ability on the bench of the district court and having been a representative member of the bar of this section of the state. In politics the judge was originally a whig, but he united with the republican party at the time of its organization and became one of its leading representa-tives in Vinton County. He was an earnest member of the United Brethren Church and he was a resident of McArthur at the time of' his death, when about eighty years of age. Harry S. Hamilton, as previously intimated, is one of the most loyal and public-spirited citizens of his native town and county, and in politics he accords unswerving allegiance to the republican party. He has given effective service as a member of the village council of McArthur, and is in tenure of this office at the time of this writing, in the autumn of 1915. He is affiliated with the local lodge and chapter of York Rite Masonry, and he and his wife are zealous members of the Methodist Episcopal Church. In the year 1895 was solemnized the marriage of Mr. Hamilton to Miss Cynthia Sprague, who was born and reared at McArthur, where she continued her studies in the public schools until she bad completed the curriculum of and been graduated in the high school. She is a 'daughter of Van R. Sprague, who is editor and publisher of the Vinton County Republican-Tribune. Mr. and Mrs. Hamilton have throe children: Herbert S., who was born on the 15th of July, 1896, was graduated in the McArthur High School and is now a. member of the class of 1917 in historic old. Kenyon College, at Gambier, this state ; Elizabeth, who was born April 30, 1899, is a student in the McArthur High School; and Martha, who was born July 27, 1907, is attending the public schools, HANGING ROCK 'IRON REGION - 1163 the family being one of prominence and distinctive popularity in the representative social life of the community. WILLIAM CLAAR. The claim of William Claar upon the good will and. consideration of his fellow townsmen in Franklin Township is based upon, many years of effective work as an agriculturist, upon a meritorious record as a soldier during the Civil war and upon his activity in pro-moting education and kindred accompaniments of advanced civilization. Reared in the wilderness, he has seen the community grow and develop, and has contributed materially to its progress and advancement. Mr. Claar was born in Franklin Township, Jackson County, Ohio, March 5, 1837, and is a son of Samuel Claar, who was born in Pennsylvania in 1800, and a grandson of Jacob Claar, who was of German an-cestry and it is thought a native of Pennsylvania. From that state he moved to Ohio, becoming an early settler of Franklin Township, where he passed the remaining years of his life in the pursuits of the soil. Samuel Claar was but a youth when he came to Ohio with his parents, coming by way of the Ohio River to Gallipolis and thence by team to Jackson County. At that time this whole section of country was. a wilderness owned by the United States Government, and such land as was not reserved because of the salt deposits was for sale at $1.25 an acre. After he had grown to manhood Mr: Claar entered a tract of Government land and- built a log cabin, riving boards to cover the roof, splitting puncheons for the floors and building a chimney of earth and sticks. The fireplace was large enough to accommodate a log -six or seven feet in length, and for many years Mr. Claar's wife did her cooking over the open fire. Deer, turkeys, bear and all game native to this section were plentiful and roamed at will, and Mr. Claar through skilful use of his rifle frequently replenished the family larder. Before the advent of railroads, Portsmouth was the nearest depot and market for supplies, and there Mr. Claar did his trading. He cleared the farm from the wilderness, saw the country develop about him, and rounded out a full and_ useful life, dying at the age of ninety years, three months, twenty days. He was one of his community's well thought of and influential men, who gained his own way in the world and accumulated a competency through hard and honest toil. Mr. Claar married Miss Lydia Stropes, who died in 1871, a daughter of John Stropes, a native of England and a pioneer of Jackson County, Ohio. Eleven Children were born to this union. George W., Elizabeth, John and Jacob, twins, Madison, Emily, William, Henry, Samuel, Rufus and Eliza. The district school of Franklin Township, whose terms were held during the winter months in the little log schoolhouse, furnished William 1164 - HANGING ROCK IRON REGION Claar with his education. In the meantime he passed the summer months on his father's farm, and when his education was completed remained under the parental roof until he was twenty-four years of age. His first farm was purchased on the Oak Hill and Four Mile Road, but a few years later he disposed of that property and purchased the old homestead which he has operated ever since with the exception of two years spent in the mercantile business at Four Mile, and the period of his service as a soldier during the Civil war. In 1864 he assisted in raising a company for the Ohio National Guard and upon its organiza-tion was elected second lieutenant. This company went into camp at Gallipolis, where the men did guard duty, but it was soon called upon for regular service and designated as Company I, being attached to the One Hundred and Seventy-second Regiment, Ohio Volunteer Infantry. In this connection the company continued on guard and patrol duty on the Ohio and Kanawha rivers and continued in active service for a period of four months, at the end of which time Mr. Claar secured his honorable discharge. Mr. Claar has been decidedly successful in his agricultural opera-tions, and at the present time owns 212 acres of land, on which are good frame buildings and modern improvements. The barn, erected by his father some three-quarters of a century ago, still stands in excellent condition, with its massive timbers, all hewn, and its boards for roofing which were whipsawed, i. e., one man stood on the ground with one end of the saw, while the other was on a raised platform with the other end. In this barn is an interesting relic of pioneer times, a trough dug out from a solid log, about twelve feet long and holding seventy-two bushels of grain. Mr. Claar has always faithfully performed the duties of citizen-ship, and has won and retained the confidence and esteem of his fellow-citizens. In March, 1862, Mr. Claar was married to Miss Emily Schellenger, who was born in Franklin Township, Jackson County, Ohio, daughter of Washington and Eliza (Ward) Schellenger, and to this union there have been born eight children : Carey W., Ella E., Mary Emma, Jesse I., Ripley C., erschel H., W. Cranston and Minnie Edna. Mr. and Mrs. Claar are faithful members of the Christian Church. LEWIS W. SPRAGUE. A scion of the third generation of the Sprague family in Vinton County, he whose name initiates this review has had the good judgment not to exhibit the itinerant tendencies all too characteristic of the people of our great republic, and in his native Town of McArthur, the judicial center of the county, he has found ample opportunities for the effective utilization of his pronounced initiative and con- HANGING ROCK IRON REGION - 1165 structive ability. Mr. Sprague is essentially one of the representative business men of Vinton County and special distinction is his for having been the prime factor in effecting the organization of the McArthur Brick Company, which now represents one of the most important and prosperous industrial enterprises in this section of the state. From a modest inception Mr. Sprague has developed also an extensive wholesale and retail business in the handling of feed, flour and grain, and in this field of enterprise he has a large and well equipped establishment which is the only one of the kind in the county. This substantial enterprise was 'founded at McArthur in 1887, and with the passing years Mr. Sprague has developed a business that is of extensive scope and that contributes materially to the commercial precedence of the town in which the headquarters are maintained. The main store owned and conducted by Mr. Sprague is eligibly situated on Main Street, the building occupied being 25 by 171 feet in dimensions, and a commodious warehouse likewise being utilized in connection. with the extensive operations carried on. Mr. Sprague handled baled hay and straw on an extensive scale, does a large business in the handling of wheat and other grain, which he buys in carload lots only, and both the wholesale and retail departments of the business have been developed to large proportions, the while. the high reputation of the owner as a reliable, conscientious and progressive business man constitutes the best commercial asset of his establishment. In the spring of 1905, with full confidence in the value of the mate-rial and facilities that could be utilized in the immediate field of operations, Mr. Sprague promoted and effected the organization of the McArthur Brick Company, and the following October recorded not only the sale of all of the stock of the new corporation, but also the beginning of active operations in the manufacturing of brick, this work having been initiated on the 4th of that month. The company bases its opera-tions on a capital stock of $100,000, and of the $20,000 of preferred stock the major part has now been retired. There was no effort made to ficti-tious exploitation or watering of the stock, but the enterprise was established on a firm and legitimate foundation, with a view to permanency and continuous expansion along normal lines. To Mr. Sprague is due in large degree the development of this important corporation and its business, and he was fortunate in gaining the loyal co-operation of other representative capitalists and business men of Vinton County, so that the company is emphatically a home institution. The personnel of the present official corps of the company is as here noted : Harry S. Hamilton, president ; O. E. Vollenweider, vice president ; Otto F. Pilcher, secretary, and Lewis W. Sprague, general manager. In addition to 1166 - HANGING ROCK IRON REGION these officers the directorate of the company includes also I. M. Lantz, of McArthur, and William C. Fischer, of Zaleski, Vinton County. On other pages of this publication individual mention is made of both the president and secretary, and to the article in question reference may be made for further details concerning the company and its operations. The plant of the McArthur Brick Company is situated near the coun seat and is essentially modern in every respect, the main building being a ftne structure that shows the. special attractiveness and splendid architectural values of the brick manufactured at the plant itself. The spe-cial products are the McArthur Mission and Rug brick, which are of the finest type of the rough-surfaced tapestry brick employed for the ornamental exterior finishing of buildings of the best modern order. The McArthur brick offers to architects and builders the best of mate-rial for the achieving of most varied and attractive color schemes in the erection of buildings and the value of the product is further increased by the fact that all of the brick is of vitrified and fire-proof type. The superiority of the output has gained to the company an extensive trade both throughout the United States and the Canadian provinces, and orders are filled in connection with the construction of the largest and finest types of buildings, both public and private. Aside from the decorative or purely architectural brick the company finds large demands for its regular vitrified products, and by this concern the brick was supplied for the erection of the extensive municipal filtration plant placed in commission in conjunction with the water system of the City of Cleveland. In the City of Chicago also are to be found a large number of modern buildings that are faced with the McArthur brick. The com-pany gives employment to a corps of one hundred competent workmen, and the materials utilized in the manufacturing are taken from property owned by the company and situated near the plant. Valuable patents are controlled and the supply resources are unexcelled in quality and accessibility. Mr. Sprague was born at McArthur, Vinton County, on the 27th of December, 1867, and is indebted to the public schools of his native town for his early educational discipline, which included the curriculum of the high school. His entire active career has been one of close iden-tification with business interests in McArthur and Vinton County, and the record already entered demonstrates conclusively that he is one of the most alert, progressive and influential men of affairs in the county that has ever been his home and to which he pays unequivocal loyalty. His father, Van R. Sprague, is one of the prominent newspaper men of the southern part of the Buckeye State and is editor and publisher of the Vinton County Republican-Tribune, at McArthur. This is the lead- HANGING ROCK IRON REGION - 1167 ing republican paper of Vinton County and its owner has made it an effective eiponent of the cause of the party and also of local interests in general. Van R. Sprague is likewise a native of Vinton County, where his parents established their residence in the pioneer days, and here he was reared and educated. As a young man he was employed for several years as United States railway mail clerk on the line of the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad, and later he served four years as postmaster of McArthur, during the administration of President Harrison, and four years under the regime of President McKinley. He has controlled his present newspaper business for twelve or more years and is one of the influen-tial representatives of the republican party in Vinton County. His wife, whose maiden name was Harriet Gill, was born and reared in. Vinton County, a member of one of the old and honored families of this section of the state, and she was summoned to the life eternal on the 5th of. May, 1913, her birth having occurred in 1847. She was a devoted member of the Methodist Episcopal Church, in which her husband likewise holds membership. Of the children Lewis W., the immediate subject ,this review, is the eldest; Eliza is the wife of Frank V. Lantz, who is serving as postmaster at McArthur, and they have one son and two' daughters; Cynthia is the wife of Harry S. Hamilton, concerning. whom specific mention is made on other pages of this work; Blackstone P. is engaged in the livery business at Athens, judicial center of the county. of the, same name, and has one son and three daughters; Jessie is the wife of Homer Atkinson, of McArthur, and they have one son. Lewis W. Sprague follows in the political footsteps of his father and is a staunch spporter of the cause of the republican party. e and his wife are members of the Methodist Episcopal Church and he affiliated with the local lodge of the Knights of Pythias, in which . he has passed the various official chairs. In 1889 was solemnized the marriage of Mr. Sprague to Miss Margaret B. Trimmer, who was born and reared in Vinton County. She is a daughter of Samuel H. Trimmer; who was long numbered among the substantial farmers and representative citizens of this county, to which he came from his native State of Pennsylvania, and in which he continued his residence until his death, in 1912. His widow, who celebrated in 1915 her seventy-fourth birthday anniversary, now resides in the home of her daughter, Margaret, wife of the subject of this sketch, and she is a devout member of the Christian Church, as was also her husband. Mr. and Mrs. Sprague have one daughter, Gladys I., who was born on the 8th of June, 1891, and who is now the wife of Professor Frank Zigler, the liven known violinist and the executive head of the popular Zigler-Howe Orchestra, in the City of Columbus, Ohio. Mrs. 1168 - HANGING ROCK IRON REGION Zigler likewise is a talented violinist and she and her husband are leaders in the musical affairs of Ohio's capital city. They have two daughters, Frances and Joan. DENNIS WILSON. Mr, Wilion and his wife have each passed the psalmist's span of three score years and ten and the most significant testimonial to. their sterling worth, their kindliness and consideration and their gracious and sympathetic personalities is that afforded in the affectionate regard in which they are held in the community that has represented their home for many years and in which they find themselves compassed by the conditions and influences that make for spiritual and material well being and generous prosperity as the shadows of life begin to lengthen from the sunset gates of the golden west. Mr. Wilson has long been numbered among the representative. agriculturists and Stockgrowers of Swan Township, Vinton County, where he has niaintained his home from boyhood and where he stands as the only surviving scion of his generation in a sterling pioneer family of this county. In the township that is now his place of residence Dennis Wilson was born on the 21st of February, 1842, and he is a son of Silas and Elizabeth (Reynolds) Wilson.; both of whom were born and reared in Perry County, Ohio, where the respective families settled in the early pioneer days." The marriage of the parents of Mr. Wilson-was solemnized in their native. county, and their virtual bridal tour was made when they made the trip on horseback from Perry County to what is now Vinton County, the parents of _Mr. Wilson, Benjamin and Susan (Schriver) Reynolds, having come to Swan Township a few years previously and having established their home in virtual wilderness. Mr: Reynolds here reclaimed a farm from the virgin forest, and here he and his wife passed the residue of their lives, their names meriting an enduring place on the roll Of the honored pioneers of Vinton County. Mr. Reynolds died at the patriarchal age of ninety-three years and his widow was about the same age when. she too was called to the life eternal, both having been zealous members of the Christian. Church; and in the early days: Mr. Reynolds and his son having been the only two adherents of the democratic party to residence in Swan Township. Four of the daughters are still living, there having been four 'sons and ten daughters in this well-known pioneer family of Vinton County. Silas Wilson was a son of Michael Wilson, who. was 'horn in Scotland, and who was young when he came to the United States. Tie was an early settler in Perry County, Ohio, and his wife, whose family name was Heck, was born in Pennsylvania of German lineage. Mrs. Michael Wilson was a resident of Perry County at the time of her death, when in HANGING ROCK IRON REGION - 1169 middle life, and her husband survived her by many years, he having passed the eightieth milestone on the journey of life before he passed forward to the "'land of the leal," a pioneer who did well his part in furthering the civic and material development and progress of Perry County, where he continued to reside until his death and where he was a zealous supporter of the cause of the whig party. As previously noted, Silas Wilson and his wife came to Vinton County almost immediately after their marriage, and they established their home in a primitive loghouse on one of the embryonic farms of Swan Township. Mr. Wilson entered vigorously upon the task of reclaiming his land to cultivation, but he was called from.' the stage of his mortal endeavors in the very prime of his manhood, as he was about forty years old at the time of his death, in 1.847. His widow remained devoted to his memory during the remainder of her long and gentle life and survived him by more than half a century. She continued to reside on the old homestead during these long years and was more than eighty years of age at the time of her death, about the opening year of the twentieth century. The subject of this review was the fifth in order of birth in a family of six children and is now the' only surviving one of the number; Samuel was a gallant soldier of the Union in the Civil war, in which he served as a second lieutenant in the 114th Ohio Volunteer Infantry until a cannonball wound necessitated the amputation of one of his feet and rendered him ineligible for further service. After receiving his honorable discharge he returned to Vinton County, and here he was serving in the office of county clerk at the:time of his death. He is survived by one son. George W., the next in order of birth, was likewise a gallant soldier of the Union and served during the major part of the ward as a member of Company B, Eighteenth Ohio Volunteer Infantry. After the close of the war he wedded Miss Catherine Paffenberger, and both are deceased, some of their sons and daughters still surviving them. Susan, the. youngest of the children, was a young Woman at the time of her death, which occurred at the time when the Civil war was in progress. Dennis Wilson, to whom this sketch is dedicated, was reared. under the conditions and influences of the pioneer days in Vinton County and his early educational advantages were those afforded in the somewhat primitive schools Of the locality and period. He has continuously main-tained his residence in his native township save for a period of seven years passed in Perry County and eighteen months in the West. His well improved landed estate comprises 362 acres and his attractive home is pleasantly situated two miles north of the Village of Creola. His land is undulating, with a number of small hills, and is of splendid fer- 1170 - HANGING ROCK IRON REGION tility, giving large annual yields of grain and other farm products and having been utilized effectively also in the raising Of livestock of the best grades. Mr. Wilson has not followed along the beaten path of mediocrity but has been energetic, industrious and progressive, has availed himself of approved machinery and other modern facilities as they have been introduced in connection with farm operations, and he has not been denied the gracious reward of substantial and well-earned prosperity. .He elected his pleasant house of six rooms, and the other buildings on the farm are of substantial order. The Wilson homestead has long been known for its generous and unassuming hospitality, and the many friends of Mr. and Mrs. Wilson do not neglect to pay the tribute in the gracious evening of their long and useful lives. Mr. Wilson is found aligned as a staunch supporter of the cause of the democratic party, his religious faith is that of the Church of Latter Day Saints, and his wife holds membership in the Christian Church. Like his brothers, Mr. Wilson responded to the call of patriotism when the Civil war was precipitated on the nation, and on the 21st of September, 1861, in response to President Lincoln's first call, for vol-unteers for the three year term, he enlisted as a private in Company B Eighteenth Ohio Volunteer Infantry, with which he continued in active service for three years, save for a brief period during which illness confined him to a military hospital. He took part in the battle of Murfreesboro, Tennessee, and in various minor engagements. Mr. Wilson proved a faithful and valiant soldier, always to be found at the assigned post of duty. In 1866 was solemnized the marriage of Mr. Wilson to Miss Sarah J. Barcroft, who was born in Muskingum County on the 9th of September, 1844, the youngest of the ten children of William and Ann (Nixon) Barcroft, who were both natives of Morgan County, Ohio; and who were residents of Swan. Township, Vinton County, at the time of their death,. Mr. Barcroft having died at the age of forty-two years and his widow having passed away when more than seventy years of age. He was born in 1813 and she in 1819, and they were members of staunch pioneer families. of the Buckeye State, their religious faith having been that of the Methodist Episcopal Church and he having been a democrat in his political adherence. Of their children, three sons and three daughters attained to years of maturity, and of the number one son and two daughters are now living. Of the children of Mr. and Mrs. Wilson the first born was Ervilla Annetta, and she died at the age of twenty-nine years. She was a successful and popular teacher in the schools, of her native county for a number of years prior to her death. Samuel Parker Wilson was born March 28, 1869, and his early educational train- HANGING ROCk IRON REGION - 1171 ing was a,cquired in the district schools. He has shown the deepest filial solicitude and loyalty and remains with his parents as his father's valued coadjutor in the work and management of the home farm. He likewise is a democrat in politics and is loyal to the county that has always represented his home and in which he has a wide circle of friends. JOSEPH ASBURY LINN, of Swan Township in Vinton, County, is now rounding his period of three score and ten years in the comfortable em-ployment of his energies as a farmer, and he has a pleasing and grateful retrospect over many years of well directed effort, influential associations with his community, and the material reward and personal esteem which are the best tokens of a well-spent career. His family were among the early pioneer settlers of southern Ohio. His grandfather, Joseph Linn, was born about the close of the Revolutionary war, and married Martha Montgomery. For his services in the "War of 1812 Joseph Linn was given a government land warrant, and not long after his-marriage he located in. Muskingum County, Ohio. e spent many years of hard toil in developing his land and helping to improve his community, but later in life sold out and moved to Vinton County to join his two sons, Abner and Adam. Adam Linn, the father of Joseph Asbury, had married about 1840 in Muskingum County, and the same year had moved to Vinton County. The maiden name of his wife was Matilda J. Chenoweth, a native of Muskingum County. After their removal to Vinton County they started out to make a new farm, and that farm is now the property of Joseph Asbury Linn. Grandfather Joseph Linn also had some part in perfecting the title and working the soil of this farm, and he and his wife spent there their declining years, from about 1850. Joseph Linn died about forty years ago when past ninety, having survived his wife several years. They, were members of the Baptist Church, and he was a democrat in politics. Most of their large family of children grew up and married and had children of their own. The oldest was Dr. William Linn, who died a few years ago when nearly 100 years old. His death occurred in Shelby County, Ohio. Adam Linn and his young wife on removing to Vinton County in 1840 took 140 acres in section 17 of Swan Township and started house-keeping in a log cabin with the very simplest and rudest of furnishings, including a puncheon floor and a door made of heavy slabs. They were well fitted for pioneer life, and in time developed a farm, put up a hewed log house and gradually surrounded themselves with many comforts. In the hewed loghouse most of their children were born. Subsequently they sold the first place and bought another on a branch of Vol. II-34 1172 - HANGING ROCK IRON REGION Raccoon Creek in the same township. On this they spent the rest of their days. Adam Linn died January 26, 1.873, wheri nearly fifty-six years of age. His widow survived him nineteen years 'lacking one month and passed away at the age of sixty-six. They were active members of the Methodist Episcopal Church and as a. democrat Adam Linn received the support of his fellow citizens for several local. offices. In their family were eleven Children and the two oldest died some years ago when quite old people. Nine of them are still l.iving, the youngest being past fifty, and all but one have a family. John Henry,.the Second in age, served for more than. three years as a private in Company I of the Seventy-fifth Ohio Volunteer Infantry, and was' in many battles, but returned home with but little injury to his body or health. Joseph Asbury Linn was born on. the farm his father first owned in Vinton County on February 29, 1848. He grew up in Vinton County, remained, at home until reaching his majority, and secured such educational advantages as were supplied by the local schools. After his Marriage he bought fifty-five acres in conjunction with his father-in-law and later he bought the eight acres now known as the Purley Dunkle place. Still later he-bought his present farm, which had originally belonged to his grandfather, comprising sixty-acres, and to this his wife has added forty acres as her share of her father's estate. This is a highly prosperous and improved homestead, and for a number of years has been steadily devoted' to the growing of farm crops and stock. Mr. and Mrs. Linn reside in a comfortable and attractive residence, sur-rounded with well kept grounds. In Fairfield County, Ohio, in 1869, Mr. Linn married Miss Elizabeth A. Faulkner, who was born in Swan Township of Vinton County May 24, 1850, a member of an old and prominent family in this 'section of Ohio. She was reared in her native locality and received her education there. Her people came to Ohio from Virginia.. Her grandparents were Kemp and Elizabeth (Jenkins) Faulkner, both natives of Loudoun County, Virginia, where they married and where they reared most of their children. They came overland by wagon to Ohio, camping by the wayside at night, and spending six weeks on the journey. To supply Some of the necessities of their journey they drove a fresh cow alongside the wagon. The Faulkners first located in Muskingum County, Kemp Faulkner having a land warrant which was granted him by the government for his services in the War of 181.2. Kemp Faulkner was born in 1793 and died in Muskingum County in .1874. His wife was born in the same year and died in 1865. Both were active Baptists and he was a democrat. James Faulkner, father of Mrs. Linn, was born in Loudoun County, Virginia, in 1824, and was ten years of age when he came as a. HANGING ROCK IRON REGION - 1173 boy to Ohio, and he helped perform Some of the interesting duties con-nected with that overland journey. He grew p in Ohio and, being well educated, was employed as a teacher for several years. On moving to Swan Township in Vinton County he met and married Phoebe Kaler, daughter of Judge Joseph and Mary (Angle) Kaler. Her father was a. very prominent citizen of Vinton County served as probate judge and in other offices, was active as a farmer, a republican in politics and a member of the. United Brethren Church. James Faulkner and wife succeeded to the ownership of his father's farm and spent the rest of their days there. He died in 1878 at the age of fifty-four, while Airs. Faulkner was born in 1830 and. died in 1859. She left a family of five sons and daughters, and Mrs. Linn is one of three. sisters still living. Mr. and Mrs. Linn have had four children: Mary A. is the wife of Lewis Arick and lives on the old Faulkner farm in Swan Township ; their children are named Floyd, Prudence, Nellie F., Scott, Wilbur and Mary A. B. Bertha is the wife of Pearly. Bray, a farmer in Swan Township, and their two children are named John and Pearly L. Addie E. is the wife of William H. Mercer of Hocking County, and their children are named Thomas H., Ferdie H., Wayne H. and an infant Pearley Clifford lives near the old home and is a farmer, and by his marriage to Anna Bray has three children, named Nannie O., Virgil and Joseph PURLEY B. DUNKLE. From the time of his birth to the present Mr. Dunkle has maintained his home in Vinton County, Ohio, which he represented as a gallant soldier and officer f the Union in the Civil war, and here he has stood for many. years as one of the prosperous agriculturists and influential citizens of Swan Township, with inviolable place in popular confidence and good will. He is a scion of a sterling pioneer family of Ohio, with whose history the name of Dunkle has been worthily linked for more than' a Century, So that there are many points which make specially consistent his recognition in this history of the Hanging. Rock iron region, his father having been one of the pioneers who aided materially in the initial development and upbuilding or Vinton County. Mr. Dunkle was born in Swan Township, Vinton County, on the 14th of May, 1814, and such were the exigencies of time and place that .in his youth he received only the limited. advantage's afforded in the primitive pioneer schools, his broader fund of knowledge having been that gained through self-discipline and through association with the active duties and responsibilities of life. His father, John. Dunkle, was a son of John, Sr.; who was born. in Pennsylvamia, a representative of the staunch old German stock that has been most prominent in the 1174 - HANGING ROCK IRON REGION history of that commonwealth. He married in Pennsylvania and in the early part of the nineteenth century he came to Ohio and numbered him-self among the pioneers of Pickaway County, which at that time was little more than a wilderness, with sparse settlement. There he gave himself earnestly to the reclaiming of a farm and there he continued his residence for many years, a substantial and honored citizen. Finally he sold. his property in that County.. and removed to Vinton County, where both he and his wife passed the residue of their lives. Each attained to advanced age and the remains of both rest in the old Elk Township Cemetery at McArthur. All of their children who attained to maturity were born in Ohio and all married and reared children, the sons having been John, Jr., Eli, Samuel, Jacob, Benjamin and Isaac, and the daughters, Phoebe and Polly. All of these children are now deceased. John Dunkle, Jr.; was born in Pickaway County, Ohio, about the year 1812, and he was still young at the time of the family removal to what is now. Vinton County. Here he was reared to manhood under the conditions of the pioneer days and here he eventually became one of the representative farmers of this section of the state. He improved a good firm of 360 acres- in Swan Township and there he maintained his home until his death which occurred September 6, 1868. He was a man of energy, industry and mature judgment, loyal and steadfast in all of the relations of life, and an. honored and influential citizen who took much interest in community affairs: He united with the republican party at the time of its organization and he served for many years in local offices of trust, including those" of township trustee and assessor. His land he obtained in large part, directly from the government, and thus it was his to figure as one of the founders. and builders of the County of Vinton, as it stands today. In Elk Township was solemnized the marriage of John Dunkle, Jr., to Miss Nancy Pilcher, who was born in Elk Township,. Vinton: County, about the year 1815; and who. passed her entire life in this county, where her parents were numbered among the very early settlers. Adequate "data concerning the family appear" on other pages .of this publication, in the sketch dedicated to Otto Pilcher. Mrs. Dunkle preceded her husband to eternal rest, her death having occurred in the late '50s. Of their children the eldest was James., who was a prosperous farmer of Vinton County at the time of his death and who is survived by two daughters. Lafayette likewise died in this county and was survived by children. John P. was a resident of the State of Oregon at the time of his death and he left a family. Benjamin was the owner of his father's old homestead at the time of his demise arid he likewise. left children. Isaac served